Top 10 Haunted Places in the World

“True are the nightmares of a person that fears. Safe are the bodies of the silent world.” Humans always seek a way to feel the sudden rush of adrenaline. Roller coaster rides, near death experiences, death defying escapes; all these are some of the numerous attempts made by humans to barrel along the fear in them. And similar to these attempts are the numerous sapient endeavours to contact the unknown, the world of spirits and ghosts, the paranormal. Horror movies, Ouija boards, ghost hunters, documentaries and found footages, poltergeist recordings; all these point to the voluminous human ventures to satiate their epinephrine appetite. When one talks of ghosts and spirits then the mention of haunted places is as inevitable as the very goose bumps. Every one of us seems to have knowledge of at least one haunted place or haunted house; as kids there certainly used to be one in our very own neighbourhood. These are the places where the roving souls of the night dawdle, apparitions with a very pale perfume, eerie voices that seem to manifest themselves as the very root of our fear. The following list takes a look at the various places, which through years of experience and unnerving reputation, have earned the creepiness to be termed the most haunted.

1. Changi Beach, Singapore

Changi Beach served as a popular killing ground for the Japanese during the Second World War. Thousands of Chinese were tortured and killed during the operation as they were suspected of being anti-Japanese. Strange crying and screaming are reported by people. The heads of the Chinese dead bodies are sometimes seen levitating everywhere and headless bodies walk around the beach. The description itself is quite direful. The scariest thing is that the ghosts leave blood stains. During nights people observe dug holes that appear as if they were used for burying bodies. The eastern Asian countries are home to various other creepy phenomena as well such as the Aokigahara forest in Japan but the Changi Beach tops the list in terms of gruesomeness and being macabre.

2. Screaming Tunnel, Niagara Falls, Canada

The haunting of the Screaming Tunnel is one of Niagara Falls’ most famous and persistent fables. Located in Canada, the tunnel is famous for the ghost of a girl. According to a local legend, a girl was set afire in the tunnel by her father when he lost the custody of his children to his wife. Another interesting version of the story tells of a young girl who was raped inside the tunnel and her body burned to cover the evidence. All these stories have given birth to the myth that if you stand in the middle of the dark tunnel at midnight and light a match, the flame will go out and a girl’s screams will be heard. Who would do something in such a shuddersome place?

3. The Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan, India

Bhangarh Fort is on the way from Jaipur to Alwar in Rajasthan, India. It is actually the only historic site in India without an office of the Archaeological Survey of India. There is a board installed by the Government stating “Staying after sunset is strictly prohibited”. This is called the most haunted place in India and has been featured on various Indian travel shows. According to a legend, Singhia, a black magic tantrik cursed the palace that everybody would die in the palace and their souls will stay there for centuries without rebirth. Another interesting point is, all the houses in this area are without roofs because whenever a house is built with roof, the roof collapses. People who visit the fort experience anxiety and restlessness. The fort has also been featured on the NDTV Good Times Show “India’s Most Haunted” hosted by Rocky and Mayur and by the look on their faces during the investigation it certainly seemed that something was sinister about the place.

4. The Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana, United States

This place has been touted as “one of America’s most haunted houses”. It is reported that 10 murders occurred in the house but historically, the murder of William Winters is the only one that has been recorded. The most well known ghost in the Myrtles Plantation is that of a slave known as Chloe. According to one story, she was pressurised by her owner into being his mistress. Both were caught by the owner’s wife and Chloe was caught listening through keyholes as to what would happen to her. As a punishment for eavesdropping they chopped one of her ear off. Numerous sightings of a girl with a blood daubed scarf wrapped around her missing ear have been reported by those visiting the house.

5. Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, United States

Almost all of us who have seen Hollywood movies remember seeing at least one penitentiary in any movie about gangsters or criminals. Remember Robert De Niro as Al Capone in the gangster movie The Untouchables. Well this is the one where Al Capone was imprisoned. This penitentiary was opened in 1928 in the Eastern United States was the first place to use solitary confinement as a form of punishment. Pure evil by its very description! In a documentary called “The Most Haunted”, the crew went live to the penitentiary. A part of the crew went to Al Capone’s cell and that is where they went wrong. Two people passed out while filming and investigating the prison. The crew even claimed to have contacted the spirits but there was no hard evidence to justify their claims.